Christmas parades bring in the holiday season

Farmington's Christmas parade kicks of series of holiday events

Tekeria Beyale, 11, and other students from Apache Elementary School take part in the annual Christmas Parade sponsored by the Farmington Chamber of Commerce on Thursday Dec. 1, 2016, on Main Street.(Photo: Daily Times file photo)

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Farmington's parade will be at 5:45 p.m. Thursday in downtown Farmington.

Bloomfield will have a parade at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Shiprock's parade will be Dec. 8 starting at the Shiprock Chapter House.

Aztec's Christmas Parade is scheduled for Dec. 9 as part of the Aztec Sparkles event.

FARMINGTON — Aztec, Bloomfield, Farmington and Shiprock will have parades to celebrate the holidays in the upcoming weeks.

The Farmington parade will start at 5:45 p.m. Thursday in downtown Farmington. Main Street will close at 4 p.m. for parade preparations and will reopen after the parade is done. The theme for the parade is "Jolt Your Jingle."

"This kind of kicks off the holiday season," said Audra Winters, executive director of the Farmington Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber puts on the annual parade. Winters said other holiday events in Farmington including the Festival of Trees, various luminaria events and Miracle on Main Street tend to take place in the days following the parade.

"It's one of the largest parades in the area," she said.

Because it takes place during the school year, various bands as well as school groups participate. Winters said there are generally 60 to 65 entries in the parade.

For more information about the parade, call the Farmington Chamber of Commerce at 505-325-0279.

Bloomfield's parade is scheduled 6:30 p.m. Monday. The theme for the parade is "All I Want for Christmas." Information about Bloomfield's parade is available by calling the Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce at 505-632-0880. Parade registration is due by 3 p.m. Friday. Entry fees are $10 or $5 for nonprofits.

The Shiprock Parade will start at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8. Lineup will begin at 4:30 p.m. at the Shiprock Chapter House.

The theme for the Shiprock parade is" Yáátééh Késhmish," which Wetona Becenti, the program supervisor for Office of Diné Y.O.U.T.H., said is like welcoming Christmas or saying hello to Christmas. The Office of Diné Y.O.U.T.H. in Shiprock is putting on the parade. Becenti said this year's parade will be longer than previous years. While the parade route in the past has ended at City Market, this year's route will end at the Office of Diné Y.O.U.T.H. building.

The grand marshals for the Shiprock parade will be Miss Northern Navajo and Miss Northern Navajo Teen.

People or organizations interested in participating in the Shiprock parade can register with the Shiprock location of the Office of Diné Y.O.U.T.H. The office is asking for donations of toys for young children. The donations will go towards the Young Parent Conference that will take place in January. For more information about the parade, call the Office of Diné Y.O.U.T.H. at 505-368-1125.

The Aztec parade, which is part of the Aztec Sparkles event, will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 9 during the three-day Aztec Sparkles celebration. The parade route is on Main Avenue in Aztec. For more information about Aztec Sparkles, call the Aztec Visitor Center at 505-334-9551.

Hannah Grover covers government for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4652 or via email at hgrover@daily-times.com.